2016 Queen Of The Turf Stakes Field Features Azkadellia

2016 Queen Of The Turf Stakes Field Features Azkadellia

Azkadellia is accepted for a short seven day back-up from her Doncaster Mile third last Saturday into this weekend’s Queen Of The Turf Stakes 2016 at Royal Randwick Racecourse on Day 2 of ‘The Championships’.

Doncaster Mile runner-up Azkadellia (pictured at Caulfield) backs up in the 2016 Queen Of The Turf Stakes back over the Randwick mile this Saturday. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Ciaron Maher’s four-year-old daughter of Shinko King is in flying form this Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival and chases her maiden elite level success in the $1 million Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m), run this year as The Coolmore Legacy Stakes.

Due to jump as Randwick Race 8 at 3:55pm (AEDT), this season’s Queen Of The Turf Stakes field features a full 16 starters plus two emergencies in Supara (11) and Asinara (13).

One of the top rated hopes and sure to feature prominently in Queen Of The Turf Stakes betting at Ladbrokes.com.au, Azkadellia is drawn in barrier nine with Damien Oliver booked for the ride.

Oliver replaces Glen Boss in the saddle who rode the mare to her brave third behind superstar Winx in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) over the same track and distance last weekend.

That followed Azkadellia’s second to Peeping in Rosehill’s Group 1 Coomore Classic (1500m), which was her first run in Sydney and came after her Group 3 Mannerism Stakes (1400m) win at Caulfield in late February with Oliver aboard.

The Group 2 Emancipation Stakes has produced the past two Queen Of The Turf Stakes winners, and this year’s winner of the 1500m Rosehill feature from March 26 is Zanbagh.

She backs up in the Group 1 on the weekend four runs into her autumn campaign, which also included a close Coolmore Classic fifth from the John Thompson-trained Bernardini five-year-old.

Zanbagh had a half-length to spare over Supara in the Emancipation Stakes a fortnight back and jumps from barrier six this weekend at a track she has twice run second at from four runs.

The other best out of the Emancipation, aside from the runner-up Supara who is first emergency on the weekend, in the Queen Of The Turf this season is fourth placed filly Badawiya.

Mick Price prepares the three-year-old daughter of Al Maher who ran third to Stay With Me in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) in Melbourne last October.

First-up she won the Group 2 Kewney Stakes (1400m) by over two lengths at Flemington before her Sydney debut in the Emancipation beaten under a length when fourth in a blanket finish.

This weekend she has her first Randwick start from the outside barrier (18 into 16 of 16) and if successful will be the first filly to beat home the older mares in the race since Forensics (2008).

She will also be the first Queen Of The Turf Stakes winner to jump from wider than 15 in over 30 years so has history against her and her hoop Craig Newitt.

The top-rated acceptor is the Nigel Blackiston-trained Suavito, also drawn wide in barrier 15, possibly into 13 with the emergencies coming out.

Luke Currie is booked to ride the Thorn Park five-year-old who hasn’t raced in Sydney since her Doncaster Mile seventh 12 months ago.

This season she returned off a lengthy break to win the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes (1400m) first-up and then returned to the same Caulfield track and distance for a Futurity Stakes third to Turn Me Loose.

She went out over a mile last start at Flemington on March 12, but could only manage to cross ninth of 10 runners behind Preferment.

Still, Suavito was defeated under three lengths that run and has previously performed much better at the distance boasting two wins, a second and a third from five runs over the 1600m she is over again this Saturday.

Along with Zanbagh the other last start winners in the field are the Danny O’Brien-trained Miss Rose De Lago who took out Moonee Valley’s Group 2 Sunline Stakes (1600m) under the lights on March 24 and the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Artistry whose last start produced a Group 3 Newcastle Newmarket Handicap (1350m) win at Rosehill.

See below for the full The Coolmore Legacy Stakes / Queen Of The Turf Stakes field, barriers and jockeys, odds out shortly at Ladbrokes.com.au.

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